score maniac

Chapter 45: TIP-OFF!

“After two straight dismal performances, the Kings’ rookie ‘Hairstyle Guy’ Gu Yu finally delivered a standout performance yesterday against the Rockets.” The game was about to begin. As the season finale, even for the Summer League, it had attracted quite a bit of attention. The arena in Las Vegas was lavish and grand, and surprisingly, the stands were packed to capacity for a Summer League game. In the stands along the sidelines, many fans had clearly traveled from afar, holding up all kinds of signs to show their support for their favorite players. “The Rockets rotated defenders throughout the game—including Ismael Smith, Blake Asien, and Jermaine Taylor—but they were never able to contain ‘Hair Guy’s’ relentless scoring.” On the sidelines, a live commentary booth had been set up for the game, which was being broadcast live across the United States—a rather high-profile treatment for a Summer League game. The commentary duo dispatched by TNT was, as always, the familiar golden pair—Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. Their back-and-forth banter and playful chemistry have become a staple of TNT broadcasts and are even considered one of the main reasons many people choose to watch the network. “In the second half, the Rockets even started using the 6-foot-7 Zeis Batinger to defend ‘Hair Guy.’ Combined with the double-team defense from Jordan Hill and Patrick Patterson in the paint, they managed to slightly curb Gu’s scoring in the final moments.” As usual, Kenny Smith maintained his image as the slightly more serious commentator. Meanwhile, Charles Barkley sat beside him, his chubby face fixed on the screen, who knows what mischievous ideas were running through his mind. “As a result, ‘Hair Guy’—who had been on fire throughout the first three quarters—experienced a brief slump in the latter half of the fourth quarter. His shooting percentage, which had been 10-for-12 at one point, ended up at 11-for-18. Still, for a shooter, that’s an absolutely terrifying shooting percentage.” “I told you he was awesome, but you guys wouldn’t believe me!” Barkley seized the opportunity to sing his praises. “And once Gu drew the Rockets’ defense toward him, the direct consequence was De Marcus Cousins’ complete explosion.” Smith ignored Barkley’s childishness, rolled his eyes, and continued on his own: “In fact, after Gu’s back-to-back standout performances in the first two games, the Kings’ rising star in the paint had already reaped the benefits. A single cut by Gu on the court can draw an unimaginable amount of defensive attention. It’s no surprise at all that De Marcus was dominating Summer League players in the paint.” “That’s exactly why shooters exist!” Barkley was always like that—if he didn’t approve of someone, he’d tear them to shreds; if he did, he’d hype them up to the skies: “So don’t just look at the last two games—even though Gu didn’t play well, he was still contributing to the team on the court!” “Say what you will…” Smith continued on his own, “But the Kings have definitely benefited from Cousins’ breakout performance. They’ve gone undefeated in all six Summer League games so far and have finally made it to this championship game! Today’s game is packed with highlights—not only because of the Kings’ spectacular offensive display, which seems to have brought back the feel of the Kings of years past, but also because… Oh, oh, oh! Warm-ups are over, and the players from both teams are officially taking the court!” “Yeaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!” In the players’ tunnel by the sidelines, players from both teams began to enter the court, and the crowd immediately erupted in cheers. Everyone held their signs high, hoping their favorite players would see them. “Hey, you’ve already got fans!” As the Kings players walked onto the court, they immediately spotted a large sign—the words on it made it clear at a glance that it was from a Cousins fan. “The Beast of a New Era—De Marcus!” Whether this description was accurate or not is beside the point, but the fact that he had such passionate fans even before officially entering the league proved, on the one hand, Cousins’ immense popularity. On the other hand, it also revealed just how eager people were for the next interior behemoth. Even now, the league’s top player was power forward Chen Mu, but his style leaned more toward all-around playmaking, which differed somewhat from that of a traditional interior behemoth. Cousins’ physique, however, offered a glimmer of hope. With Shaq on the decline, it was time for the league to see a pure-bred center who could overpower most opponents with sheer strength. However, the path Cousins eventually took still caught people by surprise—but we’ll save that for later. This situation, however, left some people a bit annoyed. “…Pfft.” Tyreke Evans glanced at the banner, tilted his head to one side with a dismissive look, but a fire ignited within him. Damn it, even a rookie who hasn’t played a single regular-season game has a banner? This league has really gone to the dogs! Meanwhile… “…Damn it, where’s my sign?? Why aren’t you flipping my sign… Ugh, why aren’t you holding up my sign?! Huh?!!” Gu Yu, with his meticulously slicked-back hair, strode straight to the sidelines and immediately started arguing with the fans… Seriously… Sigh… “Compared to the Kings’ dominance, the Mavericks’ performance in this year’s Summer League has been nothing short of surprising!” On the other side, the Mavericks players began taking the court, and the appearance of a figure with yellow skin instantly ignited the crowd’s enthusiasm. “With a beast in the paint and last year’s Rookie of the Year, it’s no surprise that the Kings are dominating the Summer League. But on the Mavericks’ side, since their starting lineup consists mostly of veterans, the players participating in the Summer League—whether in draft position or overall ability—weren’t expected to make much of an impact.” Last year, relying on a group of veterans, the Mavericks once again fell short in the playoffs. Problems with interior defense became a persistent headache; with the slowest pace and worst athleticism in the league, the Mavericks became the literal “Old Mavericks.” This offseason, Mark Cuban signed Tyson Chandler—a move that looks promising on paper. But with his strength in defense and weakness in offense, how much more energy can Chandler really bring to the Mavericks compared to players like Dampier and Haywood? “The biggest name on the Mavericks’ roster is probably Luke Jackson. He was a star in college, but his typical white-guy build and soft, slow playing style have proven difficult to sustain in the NBA. Now that he’s returned from the Italian league, it remains to be seen if he’ll have another chance to shine.” As Smith spoke, Luke Jackson walked past the crowd, and the two African-American players behind him instantly caught everyone’s attention. “Dominique Jones is also a college star—he’s an outstanding scorer with explosive athleticism, and he represented Team USA at last year’s World University Basketball Championship. The shorter player next to him is named… um… how do you pronounce that? Bobowa? Bubowa? It’s been a year, and I still can’t get his name right.” Rodrigue Bubowa, a Black guard from France, was known for his precise three-point shooting and superhuman athleticism. Standing at 183 centimeters, he could effortlessly execute difficult alley-oops and was once considered untouchable in Mark Cuban’s eyes. And in this game, the player who was about to pass the ball to Bubowa also received the loudest cheers from the entire arena. “…Whoa—!!! Here he comes! The pride of the Chinese community!!!” “…Huh??” Upon hearing the phrase “Pride of the Chinese,” Gu Yu furrowed his brow and turned around, scanning the stands carefully. He noticed there were indeed quite a few Chinese fans in the audience. But these people weren’t there to watch Gu Yu play—they were there to watch another Chinese player. “Ready, Lin?” The Mavericks’ assistant coach stepped forward, patted the Chinese player on the shoulder, and smiled broadly. “I’m ready…!” The short Chinese player nodded vigorously, looking eager to get started. “It’s your first start—don’t be too nervous. Once you’re on the court…” The assistant coach’s eyes shifted to the opposite side of the court, where a guy with a blindingly greasy hairstyle was glaring menacingly at his protégé, looking just like a street kidnapper. “Shut that guy down completely…!” “Okay…!” Stepping onto the court amid a thunderous roar from the crowd, Jeremy Lin—the pride of the Chinese community—was about to put Gu Yu through the most unforgettable test of the Summer League. “Beep-beep—!” The whistle blew, and the entire arena held its breath. With a “whoosh,” the basketball was tossed high into the air, and the game that would determine the future of these two Chinese backcourt players officially began!